deficit in half. has doubled. he said he would cut taxes for middle-income taxpayers. that hasn't happened either. this man is out of ideas and out of excuses, and in 2012, we are going to make sure we get him out of office. >> that is mitt romney today speaking to marylanders in the town hall meeting in arbutus. that is our big story tonight. >> there was a large crowd of supporters in baltimore county today to see the republican presidential hopeful. >> he is campaigning here ahead of our primary on april 3 in which 37 delegates are at stake. >> shelton dutes is live in arbutus with the wrap up of today's events. >> maryland is often overlooked in presidential republican primaries, but in this race for every delegate matters, this movement has -- may have been very helpful for the romney campaign. >> ladies and gentlemen,

governor, soon to be president, mitt romney. >> mitt romney arrived in arbutus press from an illinois victory and just hours after receiving an endorsement from jenna bush. he hunkered down to talk about the issues most important to maryland republicans. >> fixing the economy, and getting the debt under control. >> when it comes to improving the economy and job growth, romney cited his experience in the private sector as well as the need to protect individual freedom. >> freedom to pursue the dream of starting a business and taking their career in a direction that supports their family and they are able to hire other people. next he answered several questions from a crowd on everything ranging from the economy to foreign policy to health care reform. >> let's change the tax code so you get the same deduction your

employer got. that way you can buy your own insurance, and then you can pick policies that work for you and the kind of coverage you want. >> a line of supporters waiting to see the gop hopeful wrapped around the building. >> i voted for obama in 2008. i just felt like he is not creating a business atmosphere, and i know so many friends who are struggling financially because they do not have jobs. >> even though he has not clinched the gop nomination yet, romney did not mention his republican competitors during his maryland business -- during his maryland visit. >> for continued coverage on the romney visit here in maryland, just head to our website, wbaltv.com. shelton dutes, wbal-tv 11 news. >> meanwhile, mitt romney has

been making other personal appearances throughout maryland with the presidential campaign ad. the ad is notable for two different reasons. maryland almost never gets this kind of attention in the presidential primary. secondly, the ad is not being paid for it by the romney campaign. instead, by a super pac that is set to begin set up to promote romney at as -- without having a direct link to the campaign. it appears that mitt romney pac pulled in $43.20 million in contributions. >> in an unusual turn of events on the republican presidential campaign trail, rick santorum and newt gingrich both brandished at a sketches.

he compared the general election to the childhood toys, saying it is chance to shake it up and start all over again. >> thank you. thank you very much. i appreciate it. it is great to be back in louisiana. we are going to have a great day on saturday. >> both candidates jumped on the fast track, criticizing romney for changing his tune to what ever held him in the race so far. centaur made his comments in louisiana where he is hoping to maintain -- regain some momentum in saturday's republican primary there. early voting starts in maryland this saturday. he you can sign up for free breaking news e-mail alerts, all at wbaltv.com. >> senator barbara mikulski is

getting congratulations from all around the country. she celebrated a major milestone today. >> the u.s. department of labor celebrates a history making woman, senator barbara mikulski of maryland, the longest serving female member in all of congress. >> that was fellow baltimore native and house minority leader nancy pelosi, as she joined members of congress recognizing senator mikulski as the longest serving woman in history of the united states. it has been 12,892 days and counting. she accepted the praise with her signature mix of humor, self deprivation, and appreciation. >> i also want to thank all those people who made it possible. >> she was elected to congress in 1976.

she won her senate seat in 1986. >> in annapolis, a bill that would require medical facilities in maryland to report the number of abortions that perform. they do not have to do it right now. the measure was reviewed today by the state finance committee to provide a complete report. the state part of health and mental hygiene was asked to collect demographic information including the age, race, and marital status of patients. but proponents predict opponents say it will further intimidate women who are seeking an abortion. a number of high-profile environmental bills are now getting the full attention of the general assembly. there is a measure that would double the plus tax from $30 to $60 a year. both chambers are tackling legislation that limits a septic tank used and the governors when the energy bill is poised for a vote. that would pave the way for wind turbines.

>> frustration at a city council hearing tonight. residents can have been overcharged on their water bills. kai reed joins us from city hall with the latest. >> the hearing focused on a resolution that was recently introduced by council president jack young. he is calling for a moratorium on property seizures based solely on unpaid water bills. >> right now, i am shaking, i am so upset. >> bond has been fighting what she calls an inaccurate water bill for more than a year. -- rondella has been fighting. >> my child does not get the food she needs because she is on a special diet to keep her from having seizures. she cannot take the medication that i have to buy to keep her mobile because she has cerebral palsy. so do not pay your inflated water bill of $532, or do i take care of my child? >> she is one of several

residents claiming they had been overbuild. >> they said i used 1960 gallons of water a day for three people. everyone knows right there that is not right. >> the city admitted it has over built thousands of customers. according to the audit, there were no actual meter readings for 4.5 years. city council president jack young has introduced a resolution calling for a two- year moratorium on seizing property based solely on unpaid water charges. >> i am concerned that our residents could potentially lose their homes because our system is not billing incorrectly. >> they said they have hired more employees to improve the system and promised to update the reading and billing system

in the future. >> we want to ensure that customers get fair, accurate, timely bills. >> according to officials, right now the only estimated bills are on meters that are not accessible at this point. that includes about 1,400 meters. they have increased customer service staff to one representative for every 10,000 customers. kai reed, wbal-tv 11 news. >> 3 baltimore fire companies could end up closing this summer, under the latest proposal -- budget proposal released by baltimore mayor stephanie rawlings-blake. the controversial decision is not sitting well with the firefighters' union. >> york gambling with citizens' lives and fireman's lives. i think it is absolutely disgusting. >> it gives them permanency, reliability, and predictability and allows the department to plan every day, whatever de of

the week is, for those closures so they can respond more efficiently to calls. >> the fire chief will decide on the closures. to inspect the whole proposal, you can log on to our website, wbaltv.com, and click on local news. there is no smoking gun, no one concrete fact that led to the death of baltimore county firefighter mark falkenhan. >> there is a list of secondary issues that added up to the tragedy. no single factor led to the death of volunteer firefighter mark falkenhan. he was killed while battling an apartment fire in hillendale last january. the fire chief was left unsettled by the reality that there was not a major cause or failure that resulted in his

death. >> sometimes there is not a proverbial smoking gun, and that is the case with this fire. >> investigators say a pan of oil left unattended on the stowe started the blaze, described as a total of fire. 6:4:00 p.m., the 911 call. at 6:33, falkenhan and his team arrived and start searching for victims. by 6.41, they are ordered out. partnere, falkenhan's dived headfirst out a window and down the ladder, but falkenhan is trapped. he declares an emergency. 14 seconds later, mayday. >> what they found was a few smaller issues that by themselves, probably would not

have been significant, but when combined, created a catastrophic situation. >> falkenhan and his partner did not stay together. the partner did not have a portable radio, and doors left open allow flames and smoke to spread with deadly consequences. all issues the department intends to act on. >> mark falkenhan was a great firefighter and a good friend to many here and we want to make sure we learn something from his death. >> that can serve as a lesson to all of us. investigators said it is not just those heavy doors that can stop of fire from spreading, but hollow indoor doors as well. >> calls for justice have reached the halls of congress. >> how the shooting of florida teenager has sparked outrage across the nation. >> there are still some showers

down in virginia. we will see if any of that wet weather is moving our way and how long is the mild weather

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price for justice in the killing have even reached the halls of congress. >> trayvon martin was murdered 25 days ago, and still there has been no arrests. the evidence is overwhelming. >> they decided to be the judge and jury. i want the rest so you can be brought to justice. >> the florida state attorney hopes to launch a new investigation sometime next month. there is a new bumper sticker you'll be seeing a lot of. it says, if i am on the shoulder, slowdown, move off. it is the law to correct the bumper sticker is part of a campaign to make drivers aware of the move over law. >> you are watching motorist breaking the law. we sat with this state trooper on i-795 with their emergency lights on, and the law says --

>> if the traffic does not allow them to move over to clear the lane, the law requires them to slow down. >> most motorists did not move over or slow down. police organizations from across the state held a press conference to make motorist aware of the move over law. >> we need motorists to move over when we make these traffic stops. this will help our officers make our police departments safer and certainly the motorist that is stopped safer as well. >> i came up here this morning, there was a trooper parked on the side with his lights flashing kit plenty of room on the left side, and no one moved over. >> trooper thaddeus allen knows firsthand how dangerous a traffic stop candy. >> there was a vehicle that was not moving over that was coming in our lane.

just before they struck our vehicle, we jumped over a barrier wall that was next to us, and the driver struck the back of our patrol vehicle and pushed it into the vehicle in front of us. >> sam gibson helped to get the move over campaign started by writing a letter to the governor. it is any fault of their own, i just think they are not aware of the law. i have not seen anyone yet pullover. >> the hope is that by making motorist aware of the move over law, police and emergency responders will be safer doing their job. >> now, your insta-weather forecast with chief meteorologist tom tasselmyer. >> we have not had any rain in baltimore today, but there are pretty heavy showers not far from here. parts of the lower eastern shore picked up some rain and bought -- parts of virginia still

getting it. a little drizzle as possible. as we look down into virginia, we do see some showers there and even some thunderstorms along i-81 running through the shenandoah valley. parts of southeastern virginia had some heavy showers, lighter activity around north of this hour. earlier today in eastern north carolina there was a tornado spotted down there. compared to other parts of the eastern united states, things are pretty quiet around baltimore. you see the impact of the clouds in you look at the high temperatures in the eastern united states today. areaand 70's underneath where the clouds were holding strong for most of the day. 79 degrees in portland, maine. cincinnati was 83, 84 in detroit. chicago was 87 degrees today.

green bay posted at 82 degrees. the clouds and fog we had to deal with today kept the temperature down a couple of degrees, but even here, our 68 was 13 degrees warmer than normal. the record high was 89 degrees, so the heat can come in this time of the year if you get in the right pattern. cooler temperatures on the coast with the air coming off the ocean. as it continues to cool, the moisture along the coast will cost dense fog to form. a dense fog by three on the coast overnight. clouds and fog around baltimore, we will start the day with calm winds. the bermuda high establishing itself a few months early. all the way up into new england. this slow-moving storm on the plains is going to come our way.

it is producing a lot of showers and thunderstorms along the gulf coast. over the past couple of days we have seen heavy rains pushed out of taxes into louisiana and arkansas, all the way up into parts of missouri. some parts of louisiana had over a foot of rain in the last few days. tomorrow, the fox burns off with some sunshine and temperatures way above normal. 60's in amounts with partly cloudy skies, 7's on the eastern shore. it all depends on how quickly the murrain -- warning fog burns off. over seven's per couple of days except right along the coast. the next few days will be almost identical, early morning clouds and fog, partly cloudy in the afternoon. about a 60% chance of showers and thunderstorms over the weekend. dry weather and slightly cooler temperatures next week.

>> nothing shy of divine intervention can help the new orleans saints say their season now. that is next in sports. >> it is america's favorite jackpot game coming to you now, like. this is powerball. we have a big jackpot for you, a guaranteed $70 million, to be exact. 32-43-53-55-56. match this number and you are always a winner. tonight the number is 6. tonight the number is 6.

>> the classic song, when the saints go marching in, got turned around today. commissioner roger goodell slammed the saints, including a one-year suspension for the head coach. the first time the nfl has never suspended a head coach for anything. initially lied about the bounty program that paid players for big hits and hit that injured opposing players. the nfl has put such a high emphasis in recent years on player safety. individual players involved in the program will also face discipline. can be toothink you hard on people who put at risk a player's health and safety. that is a critical issue for us going forward and has been in the past. we will always protect that.

we will always make the decisions that are best for the game long term and the players. but the punishment does not stop with payton. red blooms was suspended indefinitely. he currently works for st. louis, at least he did until today. -- greg williams was suspended indefinitely. the saints organization has to pay a half million dollar fine and the saints will forfeit their second round draft pick and their second round draft pick next year. frank sinatra's advice still holds, make it there and you can make it anywhere. tim tebow will try to make it in new york. the jets and broncos have finally finalize the deal. they agreed to split the $5

million remaining for tebow. it also sets up a huge quarterback competition between tim tebow and mark sanchez. a spectacular season unfolding for loyola's of men's lacrosse team, the greyhounds. a perfect 7-0 win over georgetown tonight. we pick up in the first quarter. he fires a goal, five goals for him tonight, a one-man show for loyola. kasich i saw a pair of defenders and ties the game at 5 each. mike saw your -- sawyer nell's it as loyola sales past georgetown. the greyhounds when 11-6.

>> famed orthopedic surgeon james andrews at shows good news. he will miss several weeks before you can take the mound again. toronto struggle but for much of five innings. adam jones for the orioles, no struggles lately. he has been sensational. representative one into left field. they fall to the blue jays, 6-3. they fall to the blue jays, 6-3. said it did the groun

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girl: i want to tell you about my friend. his name is ben. ben learned about a homeless boy who had an infected tooth, and the boy died. that made ben really sad. he wrote a law so every kid can see a dentist. we have special dental van that goes from school to school. he even helps make sure we learn how to brush our teeth. he's my friend, ben. i hope he's your friend, too. i'm ben cardin, and i approved this message.

>> still nice, no complaints. >> warmer than normal. 70's tomorrow and almost 80 friday. then the storm in the middle of the country arrives here with showers and storms, so the weekend could be disappointing for some. next week it does get cooler. you may even need a jacket. 39 tuesday morning and 38 wednesday morning. >> and that is a look at our news. thank you very much for joining

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